National interest and ultranationalism

Social Studies 20-1 · maddyhelps.com

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Circle the best answer for each question. Show your work in the space provided.

The Japanese Canadian internment of 1942 is studied in this course as an example of
1. a) a government overriding citizens' rights in the name of national security
2. b) a military necessity accepted by all Canadians
3. c) a policy that applied equally to all Canadians
4. d) an action taken by the Japanese government
Ultranationalist movements typically use a scapegoat in order to
1. a) unite the nation against an internal enemy blamed for its problems
2. b) raise money for the government
3. c) strengthen international cooperation
4. d) encourage debate about policy
Ultranationalism is
1. a) the rejection of all nationalism
2. b) another word for internationalism
3. c) loyalty to more than one nation
4. d) an extreme form of nationalism that places one's own nation above all others
The Holodomor refers to
1. a) the Rwandan genocide of 1994
2. b) the Nazi persecution of Jews in Germany
3. c) the Armenian deportations of 1915
4. d) the famine in Soviet Ukraine in 1932–33, caused largely by Soviet policy
Genocide is defined in international law as acts committed with intent to destroy
1. a) any large number of people
2. b) a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part
3. c) the government of a state
4. d) the economy of a rival nation
Conscription was divisive in Canada during both world wars mainly because
1. a) it was unconstitutional
2. b) there were not enough volunteers in any province
3. c) many French Canadians did not see the wars as serving their national interest
4. d) the wars were unpopular everywhere in Canada
Of these, the strongest evidence that a nationalist movement has become ultranationalist is
1. a) a government promoting the national language
2. b) the state defining an internal group as enemies of the nation and stripping their rights
3. c) the use of a national flag in schools
4. d) large public celebrations of national holidays
Of these, the one most clearly a matter of economic national interest is
1. a) securing access to foreign markets for exports
2. b) joining a military alliance
3. c) commemorating a national holiday
4. d) promoting a national language abroad
Propaganda is most usefully defined as
1. a) information shaped deliberately to promote a particular cause or point of view
2. b) any information from a government
3. c) news reported by journalists
4. d) information that is always false
Realists and liberal internationalists disagree chiefly about whether
1. a) national interest exists at all
2. b) states should have militaries
3. c) nationalism is a modern idea
4. d) states can be expected to cooperate for mutual gain or must rely on their own power

Answer key · National interest and ultranationalism

Social Studies 20-1 · maddyhelps.com

a) a government overriding citizens' rights in the name of national security — Over 22,000 people, most of them Canadian citizens, were removed from the coast and their property sold. Canada apologised and made redress in 1988, and the case is a standing example of the cost of unchecked security claims.
a) unite the nation against an internal enemy blamed for its problems — Naming an internal enemy creates unity cheaply and deflects blame from leaders. It is also the step that turns ultranationalist rhetoric into persecution.
d) an extreme form of nationalism that places one's own nation above all others — Ultranationalism typically involves a belief in national superiority, hostility to outsiders and a willingness to override individual rights for the nation. It is nationalism without limits, not a different thing entirely.
d) the famine in Soviet Ukraine in 1932–33, caused largely by Soviet policy — Grain requisition quotas and restrictions on movement turned a poor harvest into mass starvation, killing millions. Canada and a number of other states recognise it as a genocide; the question of intent is still debated by historians.
b) a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part — The 1948 Genocide Convention makes intent the defining element. That is also what makes genocide so hard to prosecute: mass killing must be shown to have aimed at destroying the group as such.
c) many French Canadians did not see the wars as serving their national interest — English Canada largely saw an obligation to Britain; many in Quebec saw a foreign war with little connection to them. Both 1917 and 1944 show the same fault line: one state, competing understandings of national interest.
b) the state defining an internal group as enemies of the nation and stripping their rights — Flags, holidays and language policy are ordinary features of nationalism. The turn comes when membership in the nation is used to decide who is entitled to rights at all.
a) securing access to foreign markets for exports — Trade access, resources and investment are economic interests. Alliances are security interests, and language promotion is about national values — the three often pull in different directions.
a) information shaped deliberately to promote a particular cause or point of view — Propaganda can be true, partly true or false; what makes it propaganda is the intent to shape belief rather than to inform. Recognising the technique matters more than labelling the content.
d) states can be expected to cooperate for mutual gain or must rely on their own power — Realism treats the international system as anarchic, so security comes from self-help and alliances. Liberal internationalism holds that institutions and interdependence can make cooperation rational. The split runs through every foreign policy question in Related Issue 3.